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Funding OpportunitiesU.S. Environmental Protection AgencyNational Center for Environmental Research (NCER) Science to Achieve Results (STAR) Program Fall 2005 Greater Research Opportunities (GRO) Undergraduate Student FellowshipsSorting Codes: See sorting codes list Solicitation Opening Date: August 23, 2004 SUMMARY OF PROGRAM REQUIREMENTS The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is offering Greater Research Opportunities Undergraduate Fellowships for bachelor level students in environmentally related fields of study. The deadline for receipt of pre-applications is November 23, 2004. Subject to availability of funding, the Agency plans to award approximately 15 new fellowships by July 21, 2005. Eligible students will receive support for their junior and senior years of undergraduate study and for an internship at an EPA facility during the summer between their junior and senior years. The fellowship provides up to $17,000 per year of academic support and up to $7,500 of internship support for the three-month summer period. Award Information Letter of Intent Due Date(s): None Deadline/Target Date: November 23, 2004, 4:00 p.m. E.S.T. Contact Person: Georgette Boddie FUNDING OPPORTUNITY DESCRIPTION The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), under the auspices of the National Center for Environmental Research is offering Greater Research Opportunities Undergraduate Fellowships for bachelor level students in environmentally related fields of study. The deadline for receipt of pre-applications is November 23, 2004. Subject to availability of funding, the Agency plans to award approximately 15 new fellowships by July 21, 2005. Eligible students will receive support for their junior and senior years of undergraduate study and for an internship at an EPA facility during the summer between their junior and senior years. The fellowship provides up to $17,000 per year of support. This amount covers a stipend of $500 per month for up to nine months or $4,500 total, $2,500 for authorized expenses, and up to $10,000 for tuition and fees. The summer internship provides $7,500 of support for three months. This amount includes a three-month stipend totaling $6,000, $1000 for travel to and from the summer internship site, and $500 for travel while at the site, if needed. The EPA invites pre-applications for undergraduate GRO fellowships in academic disciplines relating to environmental research including environmental science, physical science, biological science, chemistry, environmental health, computer science, social science, mathematics, and engineering. A pre-application provides the information needed for a merit review. Following a merit review, the most scientifically meritorious applicants will be required to submit a brief formal application. The GRO program, like its predecessor (the Minority Academic Institution or MAI program), is intended to strengthen the environmental research capacity of institutions of higher education that receive limited funding to build such capacity, including in particular institutions with substantial minority enrollment. The program supports quality environmental education to undergraduate students, thereby encouraging them to pursue careers in environmentally related fields and to continue their education beyond the baccalaureate level. This goal is consistent with the mission of EPA, which is to provide leadership in the nation’s environmental science, research, education, assessment, restoration, and preservation efforts. This mission will benefit both the public and private sectors that will need a steady stream of well-trained and culturally diverse environmental specialists if our society is to meet the environmental challenges of the future. These fellowships are intended to help defray costs associated with environmentally oriented study leading to a bachelor's degree. Annual Conference – Fellows are expected to attend a technical/scientific conference each year they are members of the GRO program. Resources to support this travel are to be taken from the expense allowance. Summer Internship – The fellow must agree in writing to participate (if requested) for up to 12 weeks at an EPA facility as a summer intern in the EPA GRO Summer Intern Program after the first year of EPA-supported academic training. Each intern must complete a summer project that is designed to complement and enhance the training received under the fellowship program. EPA will provide support for temporary relocation and provide a living stipend during the summer internship. Fellows will be contacted during their first year to arrange for this internship. The fellowship provides up to $17,000 per year of academic support and $7,500 for internship support for a combined total of up to $41,500 over the life of the fellowship. A more detailed breakout of the funding which covers stipend, tuition, and expense is as follows:
AUTHORITY AND REGULATION Clean Air Act, Section 103, as amended, Public Law 95-95, 42 U.S.C. 7401 et seq.; Clean Water Act, Section 104, as amended, Public Law 95-217, 33 U.S.C. 1251 et seq.; Solid Waste Disposal Act, Section 8001, as amended, 42 U.S.C. 6981; Safe Drinking Water Act, Section 1442, as amended, Public Law 93- 523, Toxic Substances Control Act, Section 10, as amended 15 U.S.C. 2609; Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act, Section 20, as amended 7 U.S.C. 136r; Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act, Section 311, 42 U.S.C. 96604. Applicants must be citizens of the United States or its territories or possessions, or be lawfully admitted to the United States for permanent residence. Resident aliens must include their green card number in their pre-application. EPA may choose to verify this number with the Immigration and Naturalization Service. Students at schools that have substantial minority enrollment are particularly encouraged to apply. Examples of such schools are those that the U.S. Department of Education lists as “Accredited Postsecondary Minority Institutions” consistent with Executive Orders 13125 (Increasing Participation of Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders), 13230 (Educational Excellence for Hispanic Americans), 13256 (Historically Black Colleges and Universities), and 13270 (Tribal Colleges and Universities), which encourage building the capacity of minority serving institutions to provide high quality education, and other measures to improve minority education. Note however, that not all of these schools receive less then $50 million. Consult the NSF Report specified above. Regarding applicants who are attending community colleges, note that only those that are either four-year baccalaureate-granting institutions with degree programs in one or more eligible academic fields, or two year institutions that grant associate degrees and participate in Articulation Agreements with four-year institutions, are eligible to participate in this fellowship program. An Articulation Agreement is a signed contract between a community or technical college and a four-year college or university that guarantees that a student who earns an associate degree at a participating two-year institution can transfer all of the general education core credits to the four-year institution toward the completion of baccalaureate degree requirements.) It is the responsibility of the applicant to ensure that the school is eligible before submitting a pre-application. Students must be pursuing a bachelor's degree in an environmentally related field of specialization. Students must have two (2) years remaining as of fall 2005 before receiving a bachelor's degree. Students must have at least a "B" average overall. The term of the undergraduate fellowship is negotiated with the student and covers a period of nine months for each fellowship year. Students seeking a bachelor’s degree may be supported for a maximum of two years. Cost-sharing is not required and therefore does not have to be considered for this fellowship. APPLICATION AND SUBMISSION INFORMATION The application package for a GRO Undergraduate Fellowship consists of two major parts: 1) the pre-application and 2) three (3) current letters of recommendation. The pre-application provides the reviewers with information about you and your proposed research and the letters provide support for your pre-application. In the discussion below, we will provide you with all the information you need to ensure that you submit a complete and administratively correct application. Please read it carefully and follow the instructions exactly. Content and Format for Pre-applications All pre-applications must be submitted exactly as described and illustrated in this solicitation. If you fail to comply with any of the instructions regarding format or content, your pre-application will not be reviewed. All pre-applications must be written in English. The pre-application part of your package consists of twelve (12) items. The pre-application must be single spaced and completed using a 12-point or equivalent typeface on 8-1/2 x 11-inch paper with one-inch margins all around. Page limitations for individual components of the pre-application are specified below. Do not exceed these limits or the proposal will be ineligible. Do not submit materials permanently bound or in ring binders. You must submit the original and six (6) copies of all required materials. ITEMS 1-9 COMBINED MUST NOT EXCEED ONE PAGE (PLEASE NUMBER ALL PAGES)
ITEM 10 MUST NOT EXCEED ONE PAGE
ITEM 11 MUST NOT EXCEED ONE PAGE
ITEM 12 MAY USE AS MANY PAGES AS NECESSARY
Each application package MUST include three (3) current reference letters, written in English, from individuals who have knowledge of your academic record. If you have a sponsor or advisor in the program, one of these letters should come from that individual. Letters of recommendation are critical components of the pre-application. Select your references carefully and urge them to write unique letters specifically about you. Do not write the letters yourself. Letters that appear to be mass produced will not be ranked highly by reviewers. At a minimum, the letters should address your academic performance and potential, enthusiasm, thoughtfulness, and motivation in your chosen field. It is always useful if the writer also conveys a sense of who you are as an individual. EPA is bound by regulation to require three (3) letters. If the pre-application does not include three letters, it will not be reviewed. The original and six (6) copies of each required letter must be contained in one (1) envelope sealed by the writer and included in the pre-application package. We will not accept reference letters sent separately. Pre-applications MUST be received at EPA no later than 4:00 p.m. EST on November 23, 2004. Because of security concerns, applications cannot be personally delivered. They must be sent through regular mail, express mail or a major courier. Due to uncertainties associated with timely delivery of regular mail, it is especially important to provide an e-mail address to which an acknowledgment of receipt notification can be sent (see item 1 of content and format for pre-applications). If sending by regular mail, send the original AND SIX (6) COPIES of all required materials to: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency For express mail or couriers, send the original AND SIX (6) COPIES of all required materials to: U. S. Environmental Protection Agency The pages that follow constitute a sample pre-application for undergraduate fellowships. The purpose of this sample is to demonstrate format, not content. Pre-application for GRO Undergraduate Fellowship Page 1
Page 2 10. Statement of Objectives: This is a written account of your academic and environmental career goals in which you relate your past accomplishments and future plans, and describe how your proposed plan of study or research will tie these together. The quality of this section is a key criterion for review, so be as articulate and thorough as possible. Page 3 11. Education and Experience:
Page 4 12. Transcript Information
GREATER RESEARCH OPPORTUNITIES (GRO) From Page 1
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Letters of Recommendation (3) APPLICATION REVIEW INFORMATION Each student will be evaluated on his or her potential for success in an undergraduate study program, based on the information provided in the pre-application as described above under "Content and Format for Pre-Applications." The reviewers will consider academic records, career goals, objectives, and letters of recommendation. The reviewers will use this information to judge the merit of all applicants as well as their ability to organize their thoughts and the clarity of their writing. Evaluation and Selection Process The pre-applications will be reviewed by non-EPA experts from the appropriate fields of study. Reviewers are recruited based on the specialty fields identified in the pre-applications. Reviewers will identify the most scientifically meritorious applicants. Finalists will be selected for award of a fellowship based on the availability of funds, reviewers' evaluations, and program goals, such as distribution of awards across disciplines, institutions and geography, and other possible indicators of program balance. Awards should be made by July 21, 2005. Only finalists will be required to submit the following: 1. EPA Form 5770-2, "Fellowship Application*" * Forms are available on the NCER web page (http://www.epa.gov/ncer/fellow/) If you comply with the requirement to include an e-mail address, you will be notified when we receive your package. If selected to receive a fellowship you will be contacted no later than May 30, 2005, and those persons should subsequently receive their awards by July 21, 2005, for the fall term. Please note that this schedule may be change without notification due to factors that were not anticipated at the time of announcement. Administrative and Policy Requirements This fellowship is administered as an EPA grant, and as such recipients will need to adhere to certain terms and conditions. Terms and conditions associated with this fellowship can be found at: http://www.epa.gov/ncer/guidance. In order to retain their funding, fellowship recipients must provide their EPA project officer with an annual, written statement from their advisor stating that they are maintaining the same criteria under which they were selected (i.e., acceptable grade-point average, full-time student, and still in the same discipline). Fellows must also provide a final transcript that states that they have completed their studies. Fellows must agree to notify EPA about all employment for at least five years after graduation. Further information, if needed, may be obtained from the EPA official indicated below. E-mail inquiries are preferred. Georgette Boddie, phone: 202-343-9741, email: boddie.georgette@epa.gov For additional information or assistance in preparing your pre-application, first consult the "Frequently Asked Questions” (FAQs) on the NCER home page (http://www.epa.gov/ncer). EPA also maintains a toll-free telephone number that allows individuals to leave a recorded message or question. Inquiries will be answered through a return telephone call. To access this service, dial 1-800-490-9194.
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